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Quest Giver: Blaze ar’Rhind in Gianthold
Level: 14 (Party)
Patron: Agents of Argonnessen (8/16/24)
Length: very long
Entry Point: southeastern gianthold ruins
Prereqs: none
Recommended Party: standard
Base Experience: 12,796
Quest Info:
--Creatures: trolls, madstone infected minotaur, ogres, ogre magi,
fiendish trolls, giant skeletons, giant skeleton enchanters
--Traps: none
Walkthrough:
A few good spells and weapons to have are flesh to stone, solid fog,
cloud kill, paralyzing weapons, disruption.
Stepping in will bring you to the first killing field. You have two
options here. First is to clear out the front yard here, or second is to
quickly pull a U turn to the right, and deal with this place later. It
is usually wiser to clear this out first, until you know the dungeon
well.
It is a tough fight, wave after wave of bad guys. Creatures that are
made insane, such as the minotaurs, by the madstone, are immune to mind
affecting spells. Solid fog, paralyzers and web to slow them down, cloud
kill and wounding weapons to drain con work well. Or just good old hack
n slash. The ogre magi will cast cone of cold and chain lightning, as
well as symbol of pain.
Once the entrance is clear you can move into the cave ahead. This cave
has a shrine and an optional hall with a treasure chest. The hall is
locked, but it can be picked, or the key is out in the lava shallows
through the next cave exit. There are skeletons down the hall. When
fighting skeletal enchanters have your casters stay back, use webs. If
you get agro the enchanters will cast madstone rage on you, which will
prevent you from casting spells.
Head back out to the beginning entrance, use the other cave there to
start on the way up. In the cave free the giant shaman. He will attack
you, but kill the enchanter controlling him to free him. He will move
out to help you destroy a crystal that is amplifying the madstones
power. Head through the cave to the open area to catch up to him. Once
you catch up to him, talk to him to start the madstone crystal breaking
dance. You must protect him while he dances, or you will have to start
over. A wave of minotaurs will come out of the gate behind you and
attack him. You can heal him. Every mino you kill will spawn another. An
option is to have the caster turn them to stone and leave them as
statues as long as possible. This prevents respawn. Once the crystal is
broken, head through the cave that was on the lower ramp. Clear it out,
save the second giant, grab the chest in the enchanters room. Catch up
to the giant at the second crystal. Before talking to him, give him cold
and electric resists. Now get the dance going. Watch out for the ogre
magi on the top ledge, protect the giant from the things coming up the
four ramps. (A cloudkill at the bottom of each ramp, before you start
the process, bottles up badguys down below.)
Once this crystal is shattered move in to the next cave. Work your way
through and free the third seer. Catch up to him at the top of the next
open area. Again give him resists, add displacement and blur if you have
them. Position your melees at the side ramp but not where they can get
knocked off, keep a caster with charms or cloudkill up top, as well as a
healer for the giant. Start the dance.
Charm as many on the top shelf as you can, to have them fight one
another. Use solid fog and cloud kill in the rampway, to assist the
melees. Once the third crystal is shattered, jump down to the lava river
to the south. The gate to the very first cave with the optional undead
chest is there. Head up to the beginning and speak to Blaze.
Blaze tells you the gate to the madstone is now open, now you just have
to fight your way up to it. Clear the path of the final infected
soldiers, and get ready to run up the spire. Cast deathward and any
other spells you like for fighting in Xoriat balls, because you are
going to get hit by this one. Sprint to the top and fight the Madstone
Wizard, a huge skeletal enchanter. Many times he will have a spell
immunity on that will protect him from most forth level and lower
spells, so watch his inspection screen and see what defenses he has.
When you defeat him, grab your loot. There is a chance at unique loot,
and 1d3 giant relics.
End Reward: standard loot choice |